By Patrick Hayes

Detroit Free Press Special Writer

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Patrick Hayes writes for the Pistons blog PistonPowered. His opinions do not necessarily reflect those of the Detroit Free Press nor its writers. PistonPowered writers will contribute a column every Friday here. Contact Dan anytime at patrickhayes13@gmail.com or on Twitter @patrick_hayes.

With the Detroit Pistons locked into some burdensome long-term contracts over the past few seasons, there understandably has not been a lot of roster turnover despite the team having poor on-court results.

But by trading the long-term deal of Tayshaun Prince and netting the expiring contract of Jose Calderon in return, the Pistons now have four expiring contracts on the roster and, if you count Charlie Villanueva, who the team could still use the amnesty provision on in the off-season to get further under the cap, could have as many as five veteran players who hit free agency after the season ends.

I think every fan is excited by the prospect of the Pistons reshaping a third of its roster with new faces, either via free agency, trades or the draft. But of the five veterans who are potential free agents, four of them have played decent basketball for stretches this season.

The Pistons will certainly look at upgrading the roster in a variety of ways, but at the right price and in the right role, could we see any of the five back next season? Hereís my ranking, from least likely to most likely to be back:

5. Corey Maggette: Earlier this season in a column for Freep.com, Dan Feldman wrote that ďit will take a historic effort for Maggette to match his usual free-throw rate.Ē That obviously wasnít an outlandish position to take considering Maggette is 33, but it was prophetic nonetheless. Maggette has disappeared from the rotation after a brief and ineffectual stay there earlier this season. I donít know that Maggette is at the end of the line in his NBA career, but if heís not, thereís no way heíll continue playing as a Piston past this season.

4. Will Bynum: Bynum shot 35 percent in 15 games in November and, rightfully, lost his spot in the rotation. But injuries re-opened the door for him in December and heís shooting nearly 50 percent since rejoining the regular rotation. He has single-handedly won or kept the Pistons in a handful of games, he continues to be one of the teamís most exciting individual players (whether heís playing well or poorly, you can guarantee heís going to do both spectacularly) and heís quietly had a fantastic season at an opportune time with free agency looming. I would put Bynumís odds of coming back slightly higher, but there probably isn't a spot for him. As a free agent, heíll get to choose a less crowded backcourt. In Detroit, the Pistons will have Rodney Stuckey and Brandon Knight under contract next season, they could bring back Jose Calderon and they might add another guard in the draft. Bynum has had to fight his entire career in Detroit for whatever scraps of playing time he can find. No one should blame him if he doesnít want to continue that pattern and no one should blame the Pistons for wanting to go in another direction, even if Bynum has played his heart out for them.

3. Jason Maxiell: If Lawrence Frank returns as coach, Iíd be leery to bring Maxiell back simply out of fear that Frank will continue starting him. Maxiell can be a useful rotation big man who doesnít belong in the starting lineup of any team with playoff aspirations. Unlike Bynum, Maxiell isnít having a good season headed into free agency. After a strong start to the year, he shot just 40 percent in December, 43 percent in January and heís shooting 36 percent in February. Unless itís at a bargain price, the Pistons can find a better value to fill out their frontcourt rotation next season.

2. Charlie Villanueva: Free throw shooting notwithstanding, Villanueva has put together a decent season off the bench, hitting 39 percent of his threes. He gives the Pistons a needed 3-point threat. Villanueva still isnít producing at a level commensurate with his contract, but the amnesty no longer seems like a foregone conclusion. Furthermore, Villanueva has until June 30 to pick up his player option for next season. Unless the Pistons have a specific expensive player in mind who they know they are going to sign and need Villanuevaís salary off the cap to do it, Iíd fully expect to see him back in Detroit next season.

1. Jose Calderon: Calderonís passing, shooting and ability to take care of the ball make him an obvious fit with the Pistons on a more long-term basis than playing out the rest of his deal this season. But his age and lack of defense make him a less obvious player to look at as a long-term piece. My hunch is the Pistons will do their best to re-sign him to a team-friendly deal, but Calderonís asking price and desire to play for a winning team could be factors in him leaving. His acquisition, though, seems to make it clear that the Pistons arenít settled on Brandon Knight as the point guard of the future, so even if the Pistons donít sign Calderon, expect them to look hard at the point guard position in the off-season.